Fund Evaluator:
Gabelli Utilities A (GAUAX)
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Best Performing in Utilities Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
Gabelli Utilities A Overview
Gabelli Utilities A (GAUAX) is an actively managed Sector Equity Utilities fund. Gabelli launched the fund in 2002.
The investment seeks to provide a high level of total return through a combination of capital appreciation and current income. The fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in securities of domestic or foreign companies that are involved to a substantial extent in providing products, services or equipment for the generation or distribution of electricity, gas, and water and the provision of infrastructure operations or telecommunications services. It may invest up to 40% of its total assets in securities of non-U.S. issuers, including in emerging markets.
About Gabelli Utilities A (GAUAX)
There are 5 members of the management team with an average tenure of 9.19 years: Justin Bergner (2021), Timothy Winter (2018), Ashish Sinha (2023), Mario Gabelli (1999), Robert Leininger (2023). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: S&P 500 Sec/Utilities TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Lipper Utility Fund Avg USD index with a weighting of 100%. Gabelli Utilities A has 230 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 39.0% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Gabelli Utilities A is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the Sector Equity fund group. Gabelli Utilities A has 16.7% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 81.3%. There is 16.7% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Gabelli Utilities A has 2.0% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $920 million in total assets, which is above the $503 million average for the Utilities category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
GAUAX Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The Gabelli Utilities A expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Utilities category. Gabelli Utilities A has an expense ratio of 1.38%, which is 24% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a D. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. Gabelli Utilities A has a portfolio turnover rate of 1%, indicating that holds its assets around 1.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 53% for the Utilities category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Gabelli Utilities A returned -0.8%, which earned it a grade of A, as the Utilities category had an average return of -2.6%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all funds in that category.
Gabelli Utilities A has a trailing yield of 11.69%, which is above the 2.98% category average. The fund normally distributes its income monthly and its capital gains monthly.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
Gabelli Utilities A Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 8.2%, 2.6 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 12.5% over the past year (grade of A), 10.7% over the past three years (grade of D) and 6.1% per year over the past five years (grade of F) and 6.0% per year over the past 10 years (grade of F).
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GAUAX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| GAUAX Return (NAV) | -0.8% | -3.6% | 12.5% | 10.7% | 6.1% | 6.0% |
| GAUAX Grade | A | A | A | D | F | F |
| +/- Category | 1.8% | 1.8% | 4.7% | -1.8% | -2.8% | -2.4% |
| Utilities Avg | -2.6% | -5.4% | 7.8% | 12.5% | 8.9% | 8.4% |
| GAUAX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 5.2% | 6.0% | 5.4% | 3.8% |
GAUAX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| GAUAX Return (NAV) | 8.2% | 16.7% | 13.2% | -6.6% | -5.4% | 17.4% | -3.4% | 18.7% | -2.0% | 8.8% | 17.0% |
| GAUAX Grade | A | A | D | D | F | B | F | F | F | F | B |
| +/- Category | 2.6% | 2.0% | -8.1% | -2.3% | -6.0% | 1.4% | -3.8% | -4.8% | -4.4% | -3.5% | 1.4% |
| Utilities Avg | 5.6% | 14.7% | 21.2% | -4.4% | 0.6% | 16.0% | 0.5% | 23.5% | 2.4% | 12.3% | 15.6% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 13.5% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.10 - Above Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.91 - Low |
| Category Risk Grade: | A (15% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.47 |
| R-Squared: | 20% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Mid-Cap Value |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 11.7% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Monthly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Monthly |
| Total Assets: | $1745 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 920 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | A |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 1% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 5 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 26.9 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 9.2 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Gabelli Mario (1999), Winter Timothy (2018), Bergner Justin (2021), Leininger Robert (2023), Sinha Ashish (2023) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 3/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 230 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 39.0% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 16.7% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 81.3% |
| Foreign Stock: | 16.7% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 2.0% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Gabelli |
| Phone Number: | 800-422-3554 |
| Website: | www.gabelli.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | December 31, 2002 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 250 |
| True No-Load: | No |
| Front Load Maximum: | 5.75% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 2.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.25% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 1.38% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.11% |
| Share Class: | Gabelli Utilities AAA |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
